Select Window > Symbols to open the Symbols panel.
Last updated on
Sep 11, 2025
Learn how to create and place symbols to reuse the design across artwork.
Create a symbol
Select the object with the Selection tool to use as a symbol.
Drag the object to the Symbols panel.
Tip
By default, the selected object becomes an instance of the new symbol. ,
Select the Symbol Options icon in the Symbols panel. In the Symbol Options dialog box, do the following:
- Enter a name for the symbol in the Name field.
- Select either of the Export Type options, Movie Clip or Graphic, from the Export Type dropdown.
- Select either of the Symbol Type options, Dynamic Symbol or Static Symbol.
- Select a registration point .
- Select Enable Guides for 9-slice Scaling.
Select OK.
Place a symbol in the artwork
Select a symbol in the Symbols panel or from Symbol Libraries Menu icon.
Drag the symbol to the artboard.
If you don’t want the Symbol Options dialog to appear when you create a new symbol, select Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and drag the object onto the New Symbol icon in the Symbols panel. Illustrator will use a default name for the symbol. In the Symbols panel, dynamic symbols appear with a small plus sign in their lower-right corner.
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